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| Study of the Health Effects Exposure to Thorium Dusts of the Miners in China |
| CHEN Xing-an1, HAN Xian-mao2, CHENG Yong-e1, et al |
| Laboratory of Industrial Hygiene, Ministry of Health of PRC, Beijing, 100088, China |
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Abstract Objective To investigate the health effects of the miners in Baiyun Obo Rare Earth Iron Mine after long-term exposed to high air concentrations of thorium-containing rare-earth dusts and short lived thoron daughters.Methods By using the negative high voltage exhaled thoron progeny measurement system.Results Epidemiological study showed that the SMR of lung cancers of the dust-exposed miners was much higher than that of the controls.The difference between these two SMRs was highly significant.Conclusion It was the first evidence that the dust-exposed miners after long-term (more than 30 years) exposed to high air concentrations of thorium containing rare-earth dusts and thoron short-lived progeny could induce excess lung cancer.The synergic effects of long history smoking and the γ exposure in mining area could not be excluded.
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Received: 10 October 2001
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